Taliban's top commander captured

As Operation Moshtarak roars ahead in Afghanistan's Helmand Province, there is word of a major victory in the war on terror. According to a report filed moments ago by The New York Times, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was recently captured across the border in Karachi, Pakistan, by U.S. and Pakistani intelligence units.

The Times describes Baradar as ranking second behind the elusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, who the U.S. has been hunting for ever since invading Afghanistan in 2001. A July profile of Baradar by Newsweek is full of politically correct language ("Baradar is consistently described as more open, more consultative, more consensus-oriented, and more patient than Omar"), but anyone reading between the lines can see he is a ruthless terrorist. Since taking operational command of the Taliban, Baradar has been busy instructing lieutenants on how and where to bury bombs that are killing and maiming U.S. troops and innocent civilians almost daily in Afghanistan. It is a relief that he has been stopped, and the Times article hints that his capture could give new hope to the coalition war effort.

It was unclear whether he was talking, but the officials said his capture had provided a window into the Taliban and could lead to other senior officials. Most immediately, they hope he will provide the whereabouts of Mullah Omar, the one-eyed cleric who is the group’s spiritual leader.

The article continues:

His capture could cripple the Taliban’s military operations, at least in the short term, said Bruce O. Riedel, a C.I.A. veteran who last spring led the Obama administration’s Afghanistan and Pakistan policy review.

While we are carefully watching events in southern Afghanistan, where thousands of U.S. troops are putting their lives on the line for a critical mission, this is clearly a fantastic development that we can all celebrate. A vicious terrorist, behind many of the IED's which have killed brave soldiers you read about every day on this site, is now in U.S. and Pakistani custody. Hopefully, Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden are next.